'Underwater' tops local box office
Film “Underwater” is gaining popularity here. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
By Dong Sun-hwa
American sci-fi horror film “Underwater” had topped the local box office for four days in a row as of Saturday, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).
Since its premiere on May 27, the movie has attracted more than 40,000 filmgoers in Korea, the council said Sunday. It sold over 17,000 tickets solely on Saturday, outdoing the biographical musical “The Greatest Showman,” which drew an audience of about 14,000 the same day. The latter premiered in 2017, but was re-released here on May 21.
The thriller “Escape From Pretoria” ranked third, drawing some 11,000 filmgoers.
In the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of moviegoers in Korea has been plummeting, with only around 1.4 million people going to theaters this month, according to the KOFIC. Last May, the number was more than 18 million.
“Underwater,” starring Hollywood actors Kristen Stewart and Vincent Cassel, revolves around a group of scientists in a laboratory on the bottom of the ocean. When the laboratory is destroyed in an earthquake, they try to escape, but bump into mysterious underwater creatures and must battle for survival.
The movie is directed by William Eubank, whose works include the 2011 film “Love.”